Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Introduction

Old Town Nice

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (or PACA) is one of 27 regions in France. It includes the former French province of Provence, the Comté of Nice (acquired in 1860 from the Kingdom of Piedmont Sardinia), the former papal state of Comtat Venaissin, and the South-East part of the province of Dauphiné in the Alps.

Events and Festivals

The Festival de Cannes, better known as the Filmfestival of Cannes, is one of the oldest and most prestigious filmfestivals anywhere in the world. The private festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in the resort town of Cannes, in the south of France. The first festival started in 1930 and in 2012, the 65th edition will be a fact.

The Chorégies d'Orange are an opera and classical music festival. It takes place every summer in the ancient theater of Orange.

The Festival d'Avignon is the largest event of theater and performing arts in France. The festival takes place every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palace of the Popes in Avignon and in multiple theaters and places of the historical center.

Nice Carnival (13 Feb 2015 - 01 Feb 2016) - February/March: After Rio in Brazil, the Nice Carnival is arguably the largest and most colourful in the world, with amazing floats and animations sweeping through the seaside city. It’s an intoxicating scene, drawing crowds of more than one million people who line the streets to catch a glimpse of the giant puppets who appear to dance in the sky overhead. Address: Nice, Phone: +33(0).892.707.407

Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) is the main airport in Nice. The airport is about 7 kilometres west of the city centre. It is the third most important airport in France handling almost 10 million passenger in 2006. Almost every major city in Europe has regular service to this airport, while almost every airport in the UK has service too. There are also flights to Marrakech, Casablanca, Dubai, Algiers, Malta, Tunis, Beirut and even to New York directly from NCE.

By Train

The region is very well linked to the rest of the country thanks to its extensive train network. The main stations are Marseille, Toulon, Cannes and Nice. The main interregional trains are the TGV (train a grande vitesse), train Teoz, Corail and Lunea (night trains). Please note that the TGV trains here do not run at their high speed because of inappropriate rails: the high speed TGV line only links Marseille to Aix-en-Provence TGV and then Avignon and Lyon further to the north. The TGV trains that do run between Marseille and Nice only present the advantage of not stopping at all the minor cities and towns, and are therefore slightly quicker.

People under 25 will be able to get a "12-25" price without a railcard. Various railcards are available, but you usually need to be a French resident to get one. For more information on prices, please go to the SNCF website.

By Bus

Eurolines operates a number of lines in the region. The main departing station is Toulon. Popular destinations include Barcelona, Amsterdam and various cities in Germany and Italy. All information about Eurolines' French connections and coaches can be found here

Getting Around

By Train

There are several trains a day linking the smaller cities and towns like for example Cassis, Villefranche and Carnoule. Please note that the TGV trains here do not run at their high speed because of inappropriate rails: the high speed TGV line only links Marseille to Aix-en-Provence TGV and then Avignon and Lyon further to the north. The TGV trains that do run between Marseille and Nice only present the advantage of not stopping at all the minor cities and towns, and are therefore slightly quicker.If you are on a budget, the TER (train express regional) is the cheapest way to get around.

People under 25 will be able to get a "12-25" price without a railcard. Various railcards are available, but you usually need to be a French resident to get one. If you are planning to stay in the region for a longer period of time and are under 25, you can apply for a "Carte Jeunes Region PACA" that will give you 50% off all TER trains. This card cannot be used on other trains, especially TGV. But it is worth getting if you can: a train ticket between Toulon and Nice would cost you around €20 without the card, and €10 with the card.

For more information on prices, please go to the SNCF website. For all information about the regional trains within the PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) region, please go to the SNCF regional website

Drink

The region is most famous for her rosé wines (Bandol, Cassis, Coteaux de Provence), and for its Pastis. This aniseed-flavoured alcoholic drink is served with water - measurements vary, from very light ( usually teasingly called "the touristic measure" by the locals) to very strong ( locally called a "mummy" due to its colour). The two leading brands are Pastis 51 and Ricard. The pastis is so characteristic of the region that it is the object of several popular songs, including "51, je t'aime".

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Travel Helpers

Alain13

Nice with BA

I spend my time between Nice and Dublin, am bilingual English/French and am absolutely passionate about the French language, people, culture, food, history, traditions and scenery. I offer tours to discover the famous Nice food markets, followed by a cookery class given by a French local in my little home in Nice overlooking the colourful city and the Baie des Anges.